SpokEasy

March 2023

Sounds Marvelous

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Sounds Marvelous! This really sounds marvelous: RAGBRAI! As I watched the video, I even wondered whether I’ll ever be able to do it. Shooting for that ride would be a MAJOR undertaking; make no mistake about that. Participating in the full-length RAGBRAI means seven straight days of riding an average of 67 miles per day; and it isn’t all flat. Now that I’m retired, I can start lengthening my daily rides; that is, once my hand is ready for it. But getting up to the necessary distances won’t happen overnight. I also need plenty of simulated hills; and that’s where my prep for rides such as Tour de Cure (in hillier territory about 30 miles from home) always fell short. Somehow I never did enough of hard efforts; and those that I did weren’t hard enough! I’d have to get to Iowa in the first place; and haul my bicycle and my camping gear with me. I don’t have any such gear; and I’d need a tent and a sleeping bag. Naturally I’d have to haul along clothes for seven days, in case I can’t wash anything along the way. Rain gear wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. At least I do have a hydration system; and a tube of electrolyte tablets is easy to tuck away. I wouldn’t be able to bring along all my own food, though; and I can see from the video that keeping fueled across Iowa can get costly. Registering for RAGBRAI is no guarantee that I would get to ride; if the number of entrants exceeds a certain count, the powers that be start drawing names out of hat, as it were. But supposing I did make it into the pack? A week’s solid riding across The Hawkeye State! I have an idea that it’s addictive. And it sounds marvelous!

Sounds Marvelous Read More »

spring is sprung

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Spring Is Sprung? Spring is sprung? Really? The calendar says so; but our weather does not. At 7:30 am, the chill factor was just below freezing. It’s bizarre, after days of afternoon high temperatures over 80 degrees. At least it’s sunny; but as of mid-afternoon, I haven’t been out to ride yet. In fact, maybe I should skip it today. My left hand feels a bit swollen; and that’s not so good. I suppose I’ve overworked it. Tomorrow I have occupational therapy; and I’ll ask the therapist about it. Possibly the real problem is weakness from post-surgical inactivity; and the gripping required to ride a bicycle is actually good for it! But it’s still only 51 degrees; and I simply don’t feel like going out. It doesn’t help that it’s chilly indoors, even in front of an electric heater. Working over a laptop tends to turn my brain to mush; and that doesn’t help, either. Tomorrow it will be a little warmer; and thank goodness, the wind is expected to drop. It’s been blowing quite strongly for several days in a row. Wind makes it feel even colder. Speaking of wind, I went for a mid-afternoon ride yesterday. For half or three-quarters of a mile, I was riding hard — trying to keep pace with a ship! It was headed upriver, as I was; and I wanted to see which flag was flying from its stern.  But I had a headwind; and pushing the pace sure got my heart rate up! I don’t have an exact number; but from my PRE, I’m sure I was approaching my maximum heart rate! By the time I reached the point where trees didn’t obscure my view, the ship was too far from me for a good look at the flag. Luckily the lettering on the stern was large; and I could see the name of the ship’s home port: Monrovia. There won’t be time for a ride tomorrow morning before I leave for my therapy session, unless I get up at 5:00 am; but I can ride after I get home. I think I’ll make a detour to the farmers’ market on the way; I don’t have to rush to get to work.🙂 And maybe I can enjoy being outdoors tomorrow. Spring is sprung!  

spring is sprung Read More »

Rock It

2 Comments / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Rock It! Let’s rock it; and burn up the road on our next ride! But to do that, the drivetrain has to be in good condition; and Rock N Roll lube is a big help. This lube is self-cleaning; and I like that. Before I started using this product, I had jars of dirty, oily water sitting around. In fact, they’re still sitting around! The only toxic waste drop-off I know of is halfway across town; and last I knew, they’re open for only a few hours on Saturdays. Convenient, huh? I need to get this stuff out and lube both my bicycles’ chains. Thanks to hand surgery, the bikes have been unused for nearly ten weeks; but now I’m starting to ride again. A lube job would be a good idea. Maybe I can’t rock it yet. I have to work back up to it; and that won’t happen overnight. But this lube will keep that drivetrain running smoothly!

Rock It Read More »

Baby Steps

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Baby Steps Take it in baby steps, they say. It’s good advice; but not always so easy to follow! I’m eager to be riding again; and it’s rather had to hold myself back. I’m getting back into doing errands by bicycle!🙂 But yesterday I decided not to try riding to the salvage store. Sure, I wanted to go there; but I’m not sure my hand is ready yet for ten-mile rides. On top of that, I would have had to battle a strong headwind on the way back home; and when I’m fighting the wind, I tend to grip the handlebars more tightly. So I rode to Whole Foods instead. I really prefer visiting the brick-and-mortar store to online ordering, because I can see what I’m getting; and I can get only one of an item. When I order online, that isn’t always possible. Now I have apples and bananas!  I got sunblock; and sourdough bread. I bought a few RXBars; now let’s see whether I can keep myself away from them until I can do long rides again! Today I didn’t ride until mid-afternoon. This morning the temperature wasn’t much above 40; and again there was a stiff wind. I wanted to ride to the regular grocery store; but that wind made me change my mind. By 3 pm I was tired of sitting around; so I kitted up and went out on the hybrid. The wind was still strong; but I needed to get outdoors and get moving. For the time being, I think it’s wise to stay off the road bike. No matter how much I want to bypass baby steps and dive right into it, I think that using the road bike would put too much pressure on my hands. What little I’ve been doing with the hybrid might actually be too much stress, too soon. Above all, I’m making a conscious effort not to use my left-hand shifter!

Baby Steps Read More »

Back to Normal

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Back to Normal I’m getting back to normal; sort of. It’s wonderful to ride again, even if only a little bit. Some activities do still bother my hand; but it’s hard to keep myself from doing things! The buckle on my helmet‘s chin strap is still a big problem; and holding a bicycle left-handed while squeezing the brake lever is probably too much stress for that hand. The weather seems to be trying to get back to normal for March. The forecast is for falling temperatures throughout the day; and 100% chance of rain. At 10:00 am the sky looked pretty dark; but I wanted a few things from Walgreen’s. It wasn’t raining yet, and I was getting restless from being indoors; so off I went. I packed along the poncho in case it started to pour along the way; and before I reached the store a few small drops were falling. This continued as I rode back home; and just after I got myself and the bicycle indoors, the first real shower hit. Soon afterwards, I heard thunder. It looks like this will continue for the rest of the day; so I might not get out on the bike again before tomorrow. Oh, well — at least I rode a little; and I don’t have a 2023 mileage goal to meet. If I did, I would be getting very antsy! I’m debating whether to try a trip to the salvage store tomorrow. The round trip is about 10 miles; and naturally I’d have a load on the way back home. The rain should be over; but there will be a fairly stiff wind. As I’m rather out of condition now, battling a headwind will be harder than usual. I’m not Irish; but I’m wearing my shamrock pin in honor of St.Patrick’s Day. But I’m glad I’m not at a parade — in this weather, it wouldn’t be fun!    

Back to Normal Read More »

Beware

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Beware? To quote Shakespeare, “Beware the Ides of March.” And today is, indeed, the Ides of March. But beware? I’m not so sure of that. Today the occupational therapist said she thought I was about ready to get back on the bike! What an excitement that was! When I got home, I plugged my bicycle lights into the charger. After about two months of disuse, I figured they needed a charge-up. Then I tried a short ride with the hybrid. It was important for me to see how well my left hand could tolerate braking. The hand did get rather tired; and about halfway through my ride it started to feel uncomfortable with squeezing that brake lever. Pulling the water bottle out of its cage is a little uncomfortable, too; but less of a problem than I thought it might be. The biggest problem was one that I didn’t anticipate: it hurts to try to unfasten the buckle of my helmet’s chin strap! But using my right hand for that job is very awkward.  The doctor had said, ten weeks before cycling again; and it’s not quite ten weeks yet. But my hand feels more and more like normal. This morning, I was able to use it to twist open the top of a soda bottle! That’s big progress. But the ride has left my hand feeling rather tired and a bit overworked, so no longer rides yet; and I’d better take it easy for the rest of the day. Today’s jaunt was only 3.19 miles. It included a stop at the drug store to pick up a pint of my favorite ice cream. Goodness knows I didn’t need all that sugar; and in fact I’m trying to ease back into proper eating habits. But getting back in the saddle was such a thrill that I wanted to celebrate. I’m not sure I’m ready to ride alongside traffic just yet; but I hope to be back at it soon.  I want to hit the stores: Winn Dixie; Whole Foods; and, naturally, the salvage store. At the moment, though, what I want most is bananas! But first, a short ride on the road bike. I think I’ll try it tomorrow. Just beware hard braking!

Beware Read More »

Unkeurig

BACK ISSUES, Food /

Unkeurig! I think unkeurig when it comes to hot chocolate. I once bought home hot chocolate from the salvage store; and didn’t notice that it was for a Keurig until after I got home. I don’t have a Keurig machine; but I wasn’t about to throw that mix away. The only thing to do was try it! The top of the pod was easy to puncture; and I poured the mix into a mug. Then I added hot water (heated on the stove); and stirred it up. It worked just fine! So if you don’t own the machine, don’t despair. Going unkeurig is easy! Last night it cooled off considerably; so I’ve got hot chocolate on my mind. It was quite windy this morning, too; and I really felt the chill on the way to occupational therapy. My left hand is still quite weak; but it bothers me less and less. In another week I should be able to get back on the bike! At first I might have to use my Camel-Bak, even for short rides; because my left hand might not be ready for pulling a bottle in and out of its cage. But it will be great to be back in the saddle! Of course it will be some time before I can do really long rides again; but I’ll work up to it. It’s not as though I’m training for a major event, such as Tour de Cure; or a century. But I do want to get back to 40-mile Sunday rides. Maybe I’ll experiment with doing those long rides during the week. I  don’t have to do them on Sundays any more; and that gives me a lot more leeway when it comes to planning cycling activities around the weather. What a luxury that will be!

Unkeurig Read More »

Spice of Life

BACK ISSUES, Food /

Spice of Life? Variety is the spice of life, so they say. Why not “spice it up” with this Larabar 16-Flavor Variety pack? This collection includes taste sensations such as Cashew Cookie and Carrot Cake. I think this package would be great for me, because I often prefer smaller amounts of several foods to a large amount of a single dish. That’s why I like to get a combination plate when I eat at a Chinese restaurant!  I might be able to get back on the bike again in a week or so.🙂 It’ll be great to be able to visit the salvage store! First thing will be a raid on the grab-bag bins; then I’ll hunt for canned chicken; almond milk; and cheddar cheese. Of course I’ll watch for things I can use as ride food. It will also be good to be able to visit the regular supermarket for fresh produce. I really need to get back on a proper diet; and, now that I’m retired, I don’t have to wait for the weekend to make the ride. I can get lettuce and other salad makings; and apples and bananas.  Soon I should be able to make some Hoppin’ John variations; so I’d better add celery and bell pepper to my shopping list. I have to start using up the dried beans I’ve got sitting abound here; and “HJ” variations are a great way to do that! Then I’ll have something different to eat. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Spice of Life Read More »

Inflexible

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Inflexible! I’m getting inflexible. Since my hand surgery, I haven’t even been doing my off-bike flexibility exercises; and it’s catching up with me.  If I stoop to pick up something, my leg muscles ache. They also hurt when I stand up after a spell of sitting cross-legged on the floor. Obviously it’s high time I resumed those exercises! Today I had occupational therapy; and my hand doesn’t need any more work today. I guess I overworked it for the previous day or two; because it had cramps in it when I woke this morning. A setback is something I do not need; so I need to take it easy for the rest of the day. But it’s a nuisance to have to type one-handed; and cooking is tricky when I can’t use one hand well. I hope I get out to use a WattBike® later today; but now I’m awaiting a shipment from WholeFoods. It includes perishables, so I don’t want it to arrive while I’m away; and then sit outdoors for an hour or  more. It’s 75 degrees out there! It’ll be great when I can ride to the store again. Call me inflexible if you like; but I’d far rather ride to the store to get my groceries, than order online. I need the exercise; and I’m sure it’s cheaper than online purchasing.  I hope it won’t be long before I’m back on the bike. The therapist says my recovery is right on schedule; so that’s good news. I just wish I could speed it up!  

Inflexible Read More »

Brook No Time Out

BACK ISSUES, equipment /

Brook No Time Out? If you’ll brook no time out of the saddle, perhaps the Brooks England B17 Saddle is just what you need!  This saddle, made in England, has been around for more than a century; so it must be good. Its leather covering breaks in with regular use; and molds itself to fit your unique contours. I knew only one person who used a Brooks; and he said he liked it. This saddle comes in various sizes and colors; and a leather-care kit is included. Two-year warranty against manufacture/materials defects. Weighs 1.98 lbs. $97.99 The Brooks B17 Short Honey is designed for women riders. Leather cover molds over time to fit  you. Like the Brooks England B17 shown above, it’s been on the market for more than 100 years. Two-year warranty against manufacturer/materials defects. Weighs 2.1 lbs. Product of England. $94.88 To keep your Brooks saddle in top condition, this saddle dressing is great. It keeps the leather soft and pliable; and ready for your next ride. You’ll brook no time out of the saddle! $19.75

Brook No Time Out Read More »